The 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics is nearing its end. Like manyother Olympics in recent memory, the Pyeongchang Gameshave fueled serious concerns over displacement of residents andenvironmental degradation. It was particularly devastating towitness massive deforestation of Mount Gariwang, a 500-year-oldmountain that has been protected as a sacred area for centries.

The beautiful forest of more than one hundred thousand trees, big and small, has now transformed into askiing venue despite all the community efforts to stop the destruction.

Keenly watching the restoration process, environmental groups are trying to do what they can do inthe meantime. On February 20th, Korea Zero Waste Movement Network donated 1,741 used cellphones to the Ministry of Environment to contribute to post-Olympics restoration cost. FromSeptember 2017, the organization has actively raised awareness on the environmental impacts ofthe Olympics as well as the value of recycling used cell phones. Students and those supporting themovement from 509 schools throughout the country have participated in the campaign over a periodof three months.

From 1,741 cell phones, the organization was able to retrieve 70g of gold, 52g of palladium, 24,374g of copper and other rare metals. The economic value is approximately equivalent to $6,000.Even though the money raised through this campaign is not the major source for the restoration ofmount Gariwang, the donation delivers our worries and hopes for the ecological restoration of theOlympics venue along with a success story of e-waste recycling and commmunty organizing.